Tell us what your business does: Specialty Fitness Equipment is Ohio’s leading source for commercial, medical and home fitness equipment.

We are a family-owned company and a one-stop destination for all your health, wellness, exercise, and fitness equipment needs.

At Specialty Fitness Equipment we’ve developed a rare business model that caters to our clients' unique needs. We manage and monitor the entire process, from design to installation and after-care. Our business model is built on respect, and leads to a long-term relationship.

We know that our clients' fitness facilities and contents are an important point of differentiation for their businesses. We also know it’s not their only concern. As a result, we’ve aligned our company’s resources to suit our clients' needs, as well as maximizing the vitality and efficiency of each of our clients' facilities. We carry the quality you expect, the manufacturers you trust, and give you the respect you deserve.

Where did you get the idea for your business? Having a degree in Exercise Physiology and being in competitive athletics all my life, I've always loved fitness and wellness. I am really fascinated by the machines that help the body get fit.

So many different applications, beyond a recreation center and health club, incorporate fitness amenities. These include corporations, apartments, and fire and police departments that need guidance in how to set up and pick out the correct pieces of equipment for their demographic.

What makes your business unique? Anyone can sell a piece of equipment. What differentiates Specialty Fitness Equipment is our knowledge, expertise and consultative approach. Every client has unique needs and we listen.

Our approach allows us to customize appropriately and fulfill those needs, unlike our competition which typically uses a template approach. We believe in constant communication throughout the buying process so that our clients are completely satisfied. We are in the repeat and referral business, and it is our mission to continue building the foundation for long-term partnerships with our clients, whether they buy from us or not.

How do you see current economic conditions affecting your business? Fortunately we are in a field, Health and Wellness, in which the constant message to take of yourself affords us many opportunities in different applications.

Currently, we are really benefiting from the boom in development within the multi-family and student housing industry in Northeast Ohio and beyond. Because our portfolio of markets that we serve is very diverse, we have always been able to maintain and grow independent of the economic climate, good or bad.

What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome thus far? Building the business. I worked in Northeast Ohio for more than 15 years with another company. When it was time to leave, I had to fulfill a non-compete agreement. I was forced to build my business outside the area in territory that I've never worked.

This is the business that I love, practice and preach, so my family and I were willing to sacrifice to make it work. My name meant nothing in those new areas. It was very challenging, to the point where I wanted to give up many times, aside from the financial challenges in itself. I worked day and night to build the trust and confidence with each and every opportunity that I was able to dig up. Thankfully, through persistence, perseverance and being wired to keep at it, we've made it, and have grown into a very successful, respected and profitable business in a much larger area than I would have ever imagined.

What are your plans for near-future growth (hiring, building expansion, etc.)? We are in the midst of moving into our new warehouse, office and showroom space in Bedford Heights. This move will allow for us to expand our operations with equipment and logistics. We want to continue to grow our pre-owned equipment business with the market demand for commercial-grade, quality equipment that can be bought inexpensively. We've already brought on a new colleague and plan to hire another equipment specialist in one of our outer territories.

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